Cane car and the like



lDec. 14 1926. 11,610,772?

L. D. GREGG GANE CAR AND Taxa LIKE Filed Jan; 1o, 1925 3 sheetsshegt '2Y /NVElV-TOH ATTORNEY D'ec. 14 1525- I L. D. GREGG CANE CAR AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 1Q, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ,dwg 13. M NVEVTOR A TTOHNEY Patented Dec., M1, 1.92,

s'rnriss enterar tanni LOUIS D. GREG-Cr, OF HACKENSACI, NEW' JERSEY, ASSGNR TG THE GREG@ CUMANY, LIMTED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEVI YGRK.

CANE GAR AND THE LIKE.

Application led January 10, 1925. Serial No. 1,649.

This invention relates primarily to railway or other cars of the type employed for the transportation of sugar cane, although not 1 ecessarily limited to this specific use, and, more particularly, to the closure on the discharge side or end oi such cars.

rllhese cars, now more or less standardized both in wood and in steel, comprise an undertraine which is covered with a solid or slat looring and commonly carries, the cane being usually loaded lengthwise oit' the car, rigidly mounted thereon solid or open-iraine end walls ind, in the case o'l" the longer cars, intermediate tliereo'l2 one or more similar transverse walls dividing the car into a plurality or' compartments; and, for the side closure, are equipped with stakes removably set into stake-pockets attached usually to both sides oi? the underirame or, on one or both sides, with some torni of side-discharge door pivotally mounted at the top or bottom to swing outwardly about a horizontal longitudinal airis.

As heretofore constructed, however, the cars have all proven unsatisfactory in some respect at least.. In order to carry the amount oit cane required for their economical use, the older cars, with the threedoot (more or less) ends and sides ordinarily provided have been loaded high above the top of the superstructure, which could only be done-by expensive hand labor. lllhen the loading is done by mechanical derricks or other laborseving devices, the ends and sides out the cars must be made about twice the usual height, or say sin feet. This in itseli renders unavailable the discharge door hinged on its lower side, since the height (or width) ot the door does not permitit to swing down perpendici ilarly or iar enough to be out ot the way oi? the 'falling cane. liloreover, the increased pressure ol" the load, the cane instead oit being hand-laid being in a more or less jumbled condition when dropped into the cars by the mechanical loaders, is too great,

i'or the side stakes supported only at their lower ends in stake-pockets, and hence it has been the practice to further support these taller stakes, at or near their upper ends, by a rigidly mounted horizontal rail. But, while cars equipped with stakes thus supported and cars equipped with discharge doors pivoted at the top can be unloaded by lifting the cane out from the top or by tipping the cars about thirty degrees to the side,

the lined rail for bracing the stakes or to which the swinging door hinged renders impossible the use of either oi' the two vforms ot convenient mechanical raltes which have been developed for the purpose oil raking the cane from the cars.

My present object is to provide a practical closure which, while retaining the stakes and the Fixed top rail support therefor, will permit of the use oi the unloading rakes; and to this end the invention consists, iirst, in extending the corner wall stakes on the dis- "iarge side or end of the car some two and a halt feet or so above the rest oli' the superstructure so that the lined thereon will be at such height above the top of the load as not to interfere with the introduction ot .the rake mechanism, l second, in so supporting the stakes on the rail that on the release oi their lower ends they may either be removed or moved or swung aside to clear the side ofthe car. p

The invention will be understood by reifen ence to the accompanying drawings, in which- Y Figures 1 and Q are views, in side and end elevation respectively, oia car equipped with my improved stake and top rail closure, illustrating a simple and convenient means for supporting the stakes on the rail; Figs 3 and 4 are broken views, in side elevation and in plan, and Fig. 5 is a'detail, in perspective, of the upper portion olf the closure at one end of a car, showing a diiilerent way for supporting the stakes on the rail g Figs. G and 7 are broken views showing, Fig. (i in side elevation and Fig. 7 in section on the line T-7 of F ig. G, a third ine "is ior supporting` the stakes on the rail; u nd S is a broken view showing, in side elevation, still another modiiication oit the closure, wherein chains are substituted for the stakes, and Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a detail thereof.

As therein illustrated, A is the undertran'ie of the car, B, B are the steel channel corner stakes of its end walls on what may be called the iront or discharge side, C is the horizon* tal top rail which is lined to the tops of the rear corner wall stakes B and with iixed stakes (not shown) constitutes the rear side closure. llhe iront top rail D which throughout is shown as a rolled steel angle but may be any suitable shape, is securely joined to the extended upper ends of the front corner stakes, some two and a half feet above the sinY toot (inore or less) end walls and rear top rail; and on it are variously supported the upper ends ot the stakes lil, E, which at their lower ends are seciued on the under- 'ifY ne iu the usual or iii any suitable releering stake-pockets E, i? or by other locking ineens.

ln Fig. 1 the top rail is shown as provided with pockets which are 'lorined by the shaped plates 10 10 attached to its web. The stakes, here ot wood, are inserted therein and then locked to the undertraine, and, when released, drop out therefrom.

is shown in jigs. 3 5 the stakes, oit rolled steel angles, re attached in lixed po sition to the rail by universal joint connections, hinge straps 11, 11 at the upper end oitl each stake beingy pivoted to the head ot a bolt 12 which is swiveled in a bearingblock 13 lined to the flange, and in the web, of the rail. `When released ifroin the stakepcckets on the underfraine, the stakes swung up and around and rested, out of the way, two on a bracket 14 inounted on the upper end of one corner stake and the other two on a siinilar bracket on the top of the opposite corner stalle.

The stakes may also be conveniently supported on the top rail, to swing outwardly and to slide thereon, by ineans ot a shaped hook 15 fined to the upper end ot each stake, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Here, the rail is extended at each end 16 and provided with a. stop 1T, so that whenreleased troni the bottom pockets the stakes may be slid along the rail, half of them to one end and half to the other end, beyond the. corner stakes to thereby clear the discharge opening.

Chains E', E', Fig. 8, attached for eXaniplc to eye-bolts 19, 19 set in the flange oi' the top rail inay replace. the stakes, as the ii'ertical ineinbers oit the closure. rlhey inay be secured at their lower ends to the undertranie in any suitable inaniier (not shown), as by' connnon releasing hooks; and when unloading the car they are hung up out ot the way over a bracket 20 (Figs. 8 and 9) on the upper end ot each corner stake.

rlhe invention can be further inodiiied in its several details, within the scope ot the appended claims.

lllhat l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. ln a vehicle ofthe character described, the combination with an underiiraine and two spaced walls of a discharge closure comprising a horizontal rail which at its ends is rigidly mounted on corner stakes at a height substantially above the top of the walls and a plurality of Vertical members which at their upper ends are supported by the rail and movable with respect thereto and are releasably secured at their lower ends on the undertraine.

2. ln a vehicle ot' the` character described, the coinbiiiation with an undertraine and two spaced walls of' a discharge closure coniprising a horizontal rail which is rigidly supported at a corner ot' each wall at a substantial height above the top of the wall and a plurality of vertical inen'ibers which are relcasably d at the: loyer ends on the underiaraine and at their upper ends are supported on the rail in manner permitting thein to be inoved with re.;tpeet thereto on their release Yfrein the undertraine to provide a clear discharge opening.

ln vehicle of the character described, the coinbination with an undertraine and two end walls approsinitely sii; i'eet in height ot a discharge closure coinprising a im iront-al rail rigidly supported on corner stakes at a height soine two and a` halt feet above the wa ls, a plurality ot' stakes which are releasably secured at their lower ends on the underiraine and at their upper ends are supported on the 'ail by ineans perinitting thein to be nioved with respect thereto so as to substantially clear the ent-ire discharge side, and ineans tor holding the stal-:es when released roin the underiiranie in such clearance position.

il. ln a vehicle ot the character described, the combination of undertraine, end walls having on one side of the vehicle Corner stakes which entend substantially above` the wall, a horizontal rail vfixed to the top ot the corner stakes, a plurality ot stakes inounted in spaced relationship on the rail to swing outwardly and at their lower ends at least to inove longitudinally, nieans 'for releasably securing the stakes on the underliraine, and ineans at the ends oi the vehicle for holding the stakes clear ot the space between the walls.

ln a vehicle oi" the character described, the combination ol under'fraine, end walls having on one side ot the vehicle corner stakes which extend substantially above the walls, a horizontal rail vhiied to the top of the corner stakes, a plurality of stakes secured at their upper ends to the rail in spaced relationship by universal joint con nections, ineans 'for releasably securing' the lower ends ot' the stakes at the side ot the undertraine, and ineans carried by the corner stakes for holding the stakes in substantial horizontal position close to the level ot the rail.

LOUIS l). GREGG. 

